In this essay, I will show what the meaning of the book of Jonah is to me. In the Bible, there is a recorded account of the story of Jonah. Using chapters one through four, I will explain that the book of Jonah gives insight to God’s mercy and judgment concerning his people. First, I’d like to show that God calls us to do His will and that He is persistent (up to our will) in doing so. Second, I will point out that though we may run away from God’s calling, He will not desert us; He will deliver and hear our earnest plea. Third, I will explain that when we return to God, to accomplish His calling, will can often still have selfish roots in our hearts, which are shown to us by God.
Reading the book of Jonah, we learn that God calls Jonah to
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He is delivered by God because he realizes his need. In chapter 3 verse 3 it says, “So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” Here we see that he is finally doing what the Lord has said. And in verse 5 the people believe God and proclaim a fast. And in verse 10 it says, “And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.” God, in His mercy, does not destroy Nineveh because they turn from their wicked ways. In reading this you would think that Jonah would be pleased with the response of the people, but let’s take a look at chapter 4. Verse 1 and 3 say, “But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry” and he said, “Therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.” Why this juxtaposition in words and action? We then see that God prepares something for the second time. First a fish and now a worm. A worm, to eat up the leaves from the plant that Jonah made for himself as shade. No, God is not a bully but is trying to show Jonah his character, the root of his heart. Verse 10 says, “Then said the Lord, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:”. God is reminding Jonah that he did not put any effort into making the shade or gourd but he’s sad that they have perished, but does not feel any pity that the thousands of people that God made, were going to die. In this passage, God is showing Jonah his selfishness. Many times when we know we are doing something for God, we think we are all that but in reality we sometimes need help the most. We think
To begin with, the dual narratives of the text here present a unique mixture of chronology and perspective. Moreover, noteworthy is also McBride’s usage of the rhetorical strategy of alternate chapters and parallelism. This can be seen when McBride remarkably places related chapters together to juxtapose the life of his mother and that of himself. This allows one to observe the parallelism in the two lives; and perhaps more importantly, understand the significance Ruth’s life has had on McBride. For example, McBride places the chapters “Shul” and “School” next to each other. Here, both Ruth and James are struggling and are trying to fit in but are rejected due to racial and social conflicts. Another example is, “The New Testament” and “The Old Testament.” Both of these chapters revolve around the embarrassment Ruth and James feel for their circumstances. In “The Ne...
Jesus, Himself, uses Jonah as a sign of His death, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Upon being swallowed, Jonah died and, once he was spit up, he was reborn and willing to carry out God’s mission. While he may not have grown in his understanding of God’s love towards the Ninevites, it is undeniable that the experience did change him.
In addition, God intends to accomplish his mission through Jonah. This is not the account of a chance happening in nature in which a huge fish just came by that was large enough and with an inclination to swallow a man. This fish was prepared by God. Many have speculated as to what kind of fish it was.
In this essay I will take an interpretive look at Genesis chapters 5-9. The main focuses will be: the relationship between God, Noah, and Noah’s generation of mankind; the barriers and boundaries for humankind that were present and created by God in these chapters, the characteristics of God throughout the text and the overall importance and message of this passage in the Bible.
The book of Jonah is an adventurous story of a prophet chosen by God to go preach denouncement to a heathen nation. With the exception of stating that Jonah is the son of Amittai, the book itself fails to reveal any background information. Nevertheless, a plorthea of scholars have attempted to provide us with some insight to the, who, when, where, and what of the book. This paper will utilize four scholarly commentaries in a quest to determine the author or authors of the book, the time when it was written, the original audience it spoke to, the occasion, the historical, social and cultural context in which it was written. It will also address the historical, social and cultural context of the book and that of the pericope of 3:1 – 10.
Psalm 89 of the Book of Psalms, advocates the message of consequentialism, foreground by man’s relationship with God, with direct lin...
Moses, the man upon whom God built the nation of Israel, brought his people out of the land of Egypt. By God’s power, he divided the waters of the Red Sea. By God’s power, summoned manna in the wilderness. By God’s power, he led the Israelites despite their obstinate attitudes. He is a greatly respected patriarch of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam alike. But, imagine his legacy to be non-existent. Imagine that he died under the will of the God who sent him. Exodus 4:24-26 is brief story that nearly describes such a scenario. This exegetical study will partake in an attempt to better understand Exodus 4:24-26 through examining its historical and literary context and looking into the scholarly opinions about the topic. The proposal this paper will make is that God is in control of everything. Though He had just called Moses to rescue the nation of Israel, He shows Moses and family his complete sovereignty.
Specifically, it taught about how His mercy could not be restricted by a person’s preconceptions. Jonah was a prophet of God but was ruled by his unrelenting hatred towards sinners. Despite his loathing, God was more than capable of using him in the salvation of the corrupted. When Jonah was commanded by the Lord to preach to the Ninevites, he resisted. Nineveh was a pagan society and epitomized “everything evil that the Israelites hated” (MacArthur, Jonah 112), Seeing that his enemies would be forgiven if he delivered the message, Jonah fled from his duty. However, he would not be able to elude from the will of God and, after some precarious situations in the sea, would reluctantly prophesied to the Ninevites and inspired their faith in the Lord. This came to show that while “Jonah was filled with resentment … [and his] wrath was aroused, … the Lord [could still extend His] grace” (MacArthur, Jonah
On an opposite note, Jonah was a man whom God called upon to become a prophet. Jonah refused because he didn't desire a life of servitude. Knowing that he had committed an ultimate sin, Jonah fled to the ocean, risking hundreds of crew members' lives, believing that God would not be able to follow. In the sea, Jonah was swallowed by God in the form of a whale In the whale's belly, he repented and prayed for forgiveness. He was spit up by the whale upon dry land and all was forgiven.
The character of Jeremiah reflects how choices influence a person’s future. In the novel, Jeremiah Land was swept up by a tornado, but miraculously he survived. He thought that surviving was a signal from God, and as a result, he felt that he needed to follow God’s will (Enger, pg. 52). However, Jeremiah needed to decide whether to continue his career in the medicine field, or to sacrifice what he had achieved in his career to devote the following years of his life to God. His faith in God was so strong, that he chose to give up his career. This is acknowledged by his son Reuben, when he states, “Dad surrender his studies and a prosperous future” (Enger p. 56). According to his son, if Jeremiah had continued with his career, he would have been economically successful. His decision to give up his career led to the dissolution of his marriage. Enger shows the reader that all decisions come with a sacrifice, and that it is ultimately up to the person to make his...
The story of creation, the Garden of Eden, or the Holy Grail. These are just a few of the most remarkable biblical allusions commonly made in literature. While such widely recognized symbolism is a major component of Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and The Sea, there is a more fundamental parallel of biblical reference which Hemingway establishes. In his critical essay “Incarnation and Redemption in The Old Man and The Sea” G.R Wilson, Jr. analyzes two time spans of the novella in parallel with two important time spans of the bible.
In the days of Christ’s life on this earth, believers did not have access to the Bible in its entirety as we know and are familiar with today. Believers in this ancient time period only had access to the Old Testament. However, through their access to the Old Testament, believers were provided a foundation for New Testament times. This foundation provided New Testament believers with the Lord’s established principles of right and wrong they were expected to follow. In addition, the Old Testament is overflowing with accounts of people whose lives exemplified the future life of Christ on this earth. These pictures allowed the Israelite nation to begin to have an understanding of why Christ needed to come as their Messiah and the work He needed to do on earth. Finally, there are common themes that are interwoven throughout the entire Old Testament. Three of these themes: transgression, redemption, and consummation point to the purpose of Christ’s atoning death on the cross. These themes portray God’s work both in the lives of Old Testament believers, but they also foreshadow God’s desire and plan for believers in New Testament times and beyond.
New Testament. Vol. 2. Edited by Gerhard Kittel. Translated by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1964.
Jeremiah may be one of the most intriguing and revealing of the Old Testament prophets. With his continual return to god and the constant struggle between his heart and the voice of god. This elevates him as a human being and not just as an instrument of god (Paterson 144). He is one of the most human of prophets mentioned in the Old Testament and at the same time most Christ like in aspects of his sermons and works. His story has intrigued many for it is of human weakness and strength (Paterson 139). Let us now take a look at his life and at his works.
Class notes. Man’s Desperate Need of Righteousness and God’s Glorious Provision of Righteousness. Faith Christian University. Orlando, Florida. August 2011.